Arab, Alabama 

Arab, Alabama
Location in Marshall County and the state of Alabama
Location in Marshall County and the state of Alabama
Coordinates: 34°19′40″N 86°29′55″W / 34.32778, -86.49861
Country United States
State Alabama
Counties Marshall, Cullman
Government
 - Type City
 - Mayor Frank Lee Cox
Area
 - Total 12.9 sq mi (33.3 km²)
 - Land 12.8 sq mi (33.1 km²)
 - Water 0.1 sq mi (0.2 km²)
Elevation 1,089 ft (332 m)
Population (2007)1
 - Total 7,691
 - Density 556.1/sq mi (215.4/km²)
Time zone Central (CST) (UTC-6)
 - Summer (DST) CDT (UTC-5)
ZIP code 35016
Area code(s) 256
FIPS code 01-02116
GNIS feature ID 0113194
Website: http://www.arabcity.org Official Web Site

Arab is a city in Marshall County, Alabama in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of Alabama, and is it included in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area. Arab is a city in name only, being far too small to be a real city (50,000+ in population). It is just a town. The term "city" is merely a vagarity of the Alabama constitution, and it refers to the form of local government that it was granted by the state Legislature.

The name of the town is pronounced "AA-rab" and was an unintentional misspelling by the US Postal Service, in 1882, of the city's intended name, taken from Arad Thompson, the son of the founder Stephen Tuttle Thompson. Two other proper names for the town were sent to the US Postal Service for consideration: "Ink" and "Bird". As of the 2000 census, the population of the city is 7,174. According to the 2005 U.S. Census estimates, the city had a population of 7,498. [1]

Contents

Geography

Arab is located on top of Brindlee Mountain at 34°19′40″N 86°29′55″W / 34.32778, -86.49861 (34.327863, -86.498613)2.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 12.9 square miles (33.3 km²), of which, 12.8 square miles (33.1 km²) of it is land and 0.1 square miles (0.2 km²) of it (0.62%) is water.

Elevation: 1,100 feet

Government

Arab, Alabama has a mayor-council form of city government consisting of 5 council members and a mayor. City elections occur every four years, coinciding with the presidential elections. Council seats are at-large and are not associated with districts.

Demographics

As of the census3 of 2000, there were 7,174 people, 3,012 households, and 2,075 families residing in the city. The population density was 561.8 people per square mile (216.9/km²). There were 3,223 housing units at an average density of 252.4/sq mi (97.4/km²). The racial makeup of the city was 98.29% White, 0.18% Black or African American, 0.49% Native American, 0.39% Asian, 0.17% from other races, and 0.49% from two or more races. 0.66% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.

There were 3,012 households out of which 31.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.3% were married couples living together, 11.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.1% were non-families. 28.2% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.7% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.35 and the average family size was 2.87.

In the city the population was spread out with 23.9% under the age of 18, 7.2% from 18 to 24, 27.6% from 25 to 44, 23.6% from 45 to 64, and 17.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females there were 87.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 82.8 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $36,716, and the median income for a family was $45,761. Males had a median income of $32,425 versus $24,265 for females. The per capita income for the city was $20,035. About 8.2% of families and 10.0% of the population were below the poverty line, including 12.5% of those under age 18 and 14.9% of those age 65 or over.

Notable natives

References

  1. ^ "Annual Estimates of the Population for Incorporated Places in Alabama". United States Census Bureau (2008-07-10). Retrieved on 2008-07-14.
  2. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau (2005-05-03). Retrieved on 2008-01-31.
  3. ^ "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved on 2008-01-31.

External links